Colin Michael Burns was born in 1907, the youngest of nine sons of Stephen Andrew and Ellen Burns of Petersham. SA Burns was a timber merchant whose father, Alexander, had come to Sydney from his native Belfast in the late 1840s. Of Scottish descent, and reputedly related to the poet's family, Alexander had a colourful career and had timber and shipping interests. Colin Burns was educated at the Christian Brothers' High School at Lewisham, and entered the Sydney University faculty of medicine in 1925. An older brother, Francis Austin, father of F Harding Burns FRACP and of Judith Margaret, married to John McDonald FRACP, had already graduated from the same faculty. The eldest brother, John Joseph, had married Eileen Murphy, sister of Sir Ellis Murphy FRACP.
CM Burns graduated MB BS from the University of Sydney in 1930, and was a resident medical officer at Sydney Hospital from 1930 to 1934, being deputy medical superintendent for the latter part of that time. There he became interested in internal medicine, but financial independence was difficult for a ninth son, and the hospital pay was only 30 shillings per week. He went out into general practice in Vaucluse in 1934, and in the same year married Dorothea Gibbs.
He became active in the local eastern suburbs branch of the British Medical Association and was its secretary for two years. In 1939, he became a clinical assistant in medicine at Lewisham Hospital. When war broke out in 1939, he joined the Army, initially on a part-time basis. He found time to study medicine and was successful in the MRACP examination in 1941. In 1942, he was called up to full-time military service and was stationed mostly in Queensland until 1944, rising to the rank of major and practising as a physician. During this time he wrote a book 'Woman Unknown', a treatise on women's health for popular consumption. It was published by Angus & Robertson in 1947, under the pseudonym George Grange.
After discharge from the Army in 1944, he went back to his general practice and rejoined Lewisham Hospital where, in time, he became an assistant physician, and then honorary physician, retiring as the senior physician in 1972. He was also appointed an honorary physician at the Eastern Suburbs Hospital, and remained there until its incorporation in the Prince Henry Hospital/Prince of Wales Hospital complex with the opening of the medical faculty at the University of New South Wales. In 1952, he left suburban general practice for that of a full-time consultant physician in general medicine in Macquarie Street. He was elected FRACP in 1971.
Colin Burns was a man of deep religious inspiration. He was a good organiser and combined these qualities in being master of the Catholic Medical Guild of St Luke for many years, from 1956 to 1963. He was instrumental in inaugurating the Annual Medical Mass in 1958. He enjoyed attending College conferences, particularly interstate and in New Zealand but, in his later years, his travelling ability was restricted by poor health.
He was a kindly man of gentle disposition with a faithful practice following. He was a dedicated family man, giving much of his time to his wife and his children, Michael FRACP, and Gillian. A son, Timothy, died in infancy. He enjoyed gardening and was a fortunate to be gifted with 'green fingers'. He died in 1975, after a short final illness, having been in active practice a fortnight before his death.